How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 22 Let Me Ride in Your BMW
Hu Mei had a very good impression of Wang Yao.

This child not only seems good-looking, but also honest and simple, without any pretentiousness, and doesn't seem like the type to boast or lie.

They were completely different from those unreliable students who just drifted through life at school.

“The clothing category is quite large. If it’s managed well, I estimate that the part-time staff can be expanded to around 30 people within a month,” Wang Yao said seriously.

"So many people? How much sales must that be?" Hu Mei asked curiously.

With 30 part-time positions, even with a management fee of 300 yuan per month, the revenue would still be 1 yuan.

Not a lot.

“I estimate monthly sales to be around 70 yuan, but the costs of materials, traffic generation, and labor are very high for the apparel category, so the gross profit margin is not high, but the turnover is large,” Wang Yao said.

A turnover of 70? Wouldn't that require tens of millions in annual sales?
Even with a low gross profit margin, you can still make a million.

Hu Mei immediately became somewhat skeptical of Wang Yao's words, because they were beyond her comprehension. At her age, she was not interested in online shopping, nor did she pay much attention to e-commerce, a niche field of study.

Even in 2010, most people's understanding of online shopping was still limited to unreliable scams.
"You're being optimistic. But if it's managed well, it can generate two or three million in revenue a year," Old Zheng said, pouring cold water on Wang Yao's hopes.

"Old Zheng, is the e-commerce transaction volume really that large?" Hu Mei asked curiously.

"Last year, Taobao's total sales in the apparel category exceeded 5000 million yuan, and this year it is estimated to double. If Wang Yao can make a niche category successful, he won't do too badly in this mainstream category," Lao Zheng said truthfully.

"Times are indeed progressing. When we were Xiao Yao's age, let alone a two-million-dollar deal, we wouldn't even dare to dream of twenty thousand dollars."

"Alright, with your expert approval and my high regard for Xiao Yao, I'll give this a push. But I can't guarantee it will work out, since we don't own the bank." Hu Mei changed the subject and agreed with a smile.

She didn't know Wang Yao, but she knew Lao Zheng very well. This old guy was an honest man his whole life. He was bullied by his wife at home and cheated by his colleagues outside, but his professional skills and character were definitely not a problem.

Since he thinks highly of this student, it wouldn't be without reason.

If she could incubate a project with annual sales of 200 million, no, even just 100 million in revenue, it would be a source of immense pride for her as the head of the branch school, and she would definitely be able to sit in the front row during the year-end report.

"Then I'll have to trouble Principal Hu," Wang Yao said with some delight.

"No need to thank me. You should thank your teacher for imparting knowledge so well, and thank yourself for being smart, quick-witted, and courageous," Hu Mei said with a smile.

"I'll contact the people at the foundation to see if we can make an appointment. It's lunchtime now, let's have lunch together. It's been a long time since we've had school food."

"I really miss the beef noodles in the cafeteria. It's been almost a year since I started my internship and I haven't had them," Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

The three of them chatted and laughed as they went downstairs, only to find a group of people gathered around a BMW 5 Series, commenting on it.

"Hey, a 5 Series, whose family got a new car after their house was demolished?" Old Zheng, a car enthusiast, asked curiously.

Cars of this level are relatively rare on university campuses. It's not that they can't afford them; most of the teachers are locals from Shanghai and come from well-off families.

The main problem is that they can't afford to drive it. With their salaries, they would be practically starving if they didn't have extra income. Besides, it's too high-profile and makes them easy targets.

"It's mine, but did I take someone else's parking spot?" Wang Yao asked with some concern as he took out his keys from his pocket.

Hu Mei's words of comment caught in her throat, and she looked at Wang Yao with a puzzled expression.

Old Zheng was also stunned, looking at Wang Yao with surprise and some annoyance, "Why didn't you say you were a rich second-generation sooner?!"

"I didn't buy it; someone lent it to me. I've recently started learning how to do business, and I wanted to save face," Wang Yao said shyly.

"Who would lend such an expensive car to a kid like you who has no relatives or friends? You've been hiding it well." Old Zheng rolled his eyes.

If I had known this kid was a rich kid, I wouldn't have bothered helping him get a business loan.

Hu Mei's eyes flickered, and during her meal, she took the initiative to call an acquaintance in charge of startup loans.

She hadn't originally intended to do it properly; she just wanted to go through the motions to make a good impression on Wang Yao, so that if he succeeded in starting his business in the future, it would be a way of showing her support.

After all, once she's in her position, there's no need for her to offer help in times of need.

But now that we've discovered this student might come from a wealthy family, the more extra help we can offer, the better.

"Xiao Yao, I've contacted the people at the Angel Foundation for you, but they won't be available until next week."
Our school happens to have a partner bank manager for student loans, so I gave him a call. He happened to be nearby on business, so I went over for tea after dinner and waited for him.

"Since we've decided to do this, we definitely need to prepare for both possibilities. Different channels have different advantages, so you should consider them and learn more about them," Hu Mei said with a smile after making the arrangements.

"That's wonderful, Principal Hu, you've been a great help. I don't know how to thank you enough," Wang Yao said, feigning surprise.

Old Zheng frowned slightly, glanced at Hu Mei, and said nothing.

"Of course, the school is there to help students solve problems. As long as you do your job well, that's the biggest help you can give. You and your apprentice can talk to me about e-commerce again. I'm quite interested in it now," Hu Mei said in an official tone.

After finishing my meal, I went to Hu Mei's office for half an hour of tea, and then the bank manager arrived.

"Xiao Yao, this Manager Chen from the Pufa Credit Department has been cooperating with our school on student loans for many years, so he's practically your senior."
"Chen Tao, this is your junior from the International Business E-commerce major, Wang Yao. He's starting his own business and has already achieved some success," Hu Mei introduced enthusiastically.

"Hello senior, I'm Wang Yao, from the class of 08, and I've just started doing e-commerce." Wang Yao extended his hand.

"Chen Tao, junior, if you hadn't told me, I would have thought you were from the Shanghai Theatre Academy next door. You're so handsome, you're just here to give all the guys in our school a boost." Chen Tao had a square face, a deep voice, and an infectious laugh.

“Senior brother is truly a man of exceptional talent,” Wang Yao said in greeting.

"E-commerce projects are great! Taobao is developing so fast. Last week, our boss had a meeting and specifically asked us to pay close attention to this industry's development. And this morning, a magpie was chirping in my car as I was leaving."
"Principal Hu called me at noon. What a coincidence! Junior, could you please introduce the project first?" Chen Tao first flattered Hu Mei before getting straight to the point.

Without wasting words, Wang Yao first showed the backend data of Xiao Ka's store, revealing that sales had exceeded 30,000 yuan in the time it took to eat a meal.

"It's only been less than an hour, and you've already sold over ten thousand?" Hu Mei was somewhat surprised.

“That’s how e-commerce works. Last year I heard about a clothing brand that made 1000 million yuan in sales in a single day. It was amazing. It’s completely different from how we used to do business,” Chen Tao said with a smile.

"E-commerce breaks down the concepts of space and time; it's a disruptive force in consumption patterns, and it can't be judged by common sense," Old Zheng said proudly. "Junior brother, the way you made this little card is a bit like the Water Margin trading cards from when we were kids," Chen Tao laughed.

“Yes, the core of the product logic is collection + celebrity effect.” Wang Yao nodded.

"Are there any risks?" Chen Tao asked a few more questions, then inquired about the purpose of the loan and Wang Yao's plans to open a new store.

"The clothing business is booming. My wife works in the clothing industry, so I'll have her ask you for advice." Chen Tao said with a smile.

“If you’re interested, sister-in-law, you can look into it. E-commerce is definitely a trend.” Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly.

Detection elements.

“Generally speaking, even startup loans require collateral. My junior hasn’t graduated yet, and his online store’s revenue looks okay for now, but his business license hasn’t been in operation for long enough.” Chen Tao pondered for a moment.

“I started my internship last year, and I have some salary slips and social insurance and housing fund contributions,” Wang Yao said.

"Your internship salary won't be assessed at much," Chen Tao said with a smile, waving his hand.

He graduated from this university; how could he not know the internship salary at this school?

"It wasn't much at first, but I got a raise in the last six months, and now it's about ten thousand after tax," Wang Yao said with a smile.

The office fell silent again.

Hu Mei opened her mouth and glanced at Lao Zheng.

Old Zheng's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Didn't you go to be a photography assistant? How come you're getting such a high salary?"

His after-tax salary is only a little over five thousand!
"The boss has taken a liking to me." Wang Yao smiled modestly. "By the way, I've had a business license for over six months, but I'm only the legal representative and own only 5% of the shares. Can that be used as a qualification?"

"From Shanghai?" A strange light flickered in Chen Tao's eyes.

Although Hu Mei had mentioned beforehand that Wang Yao drove a 5 Series, he didn't care. After all, having worked in the lending industry for so many years, he was no longer easily swayed by such trivial matters.

However, the combination of information such as a monthly salary of 10,000 yuan, five social insurances and one housing fund, and being the legal representative, made him make some predictions about Wang Yao's identity, guessing that he was probably not from an ordinary family.

The credit index rose sharply.

"Yes, here's a copy of the business license. Please take a look." Wang Yao said, opening the Tianhuo Network Media license on his laptop.

"Junior, add me on QQ and send me the details. How is this company doing?" Chen Tao gave him his QQ number.

"It's alright. Including myself, there are 12 employees in total. This company was invested in by someone else. I think it was an investment of 100 million US dollars. I don't know much about the details. I'm just the legal representative," Wang Yao said.

Everyone was silent again.

Normal domestic investments are denominated in RMB, but you're using USD. What does that mean?
Moreover, a $1 million investment for 5% of the shares is $50,000, which translates to over $300,000.

You know nothing about this, and someone just gave you over 300,000 yuan for no reason?
Why won't you give it to me?

"With this as collateral, the loan amount can be higher," Chen Tao said with a smile, calming his complicated emotions.

"Does using this as collateral require the signatures of other shareholders?" Wang Yao asked again.

“If the amount is high, then it will definitely be needed. Your credit is very good now, so even without collateral, you can get a loan of around 100,000,” Chen Tao assessed.

"I don't really want other people to know about my business," Wang Yao said with some difficulty.

"Okay, I'll go back and discuss it. We can definitely do it; it's just a matter of the amount and the interest." Chen Tao understood.

“Okay, then I’ll trouble you, senior brother.” Wang Yao was overjoyed.

"We're all brothers, let's get closer in the future. I have a meeting later, Principal Hu and Teacher Zheng, I'll take my leave now. Junior brother, wait for my news, by tomorrow morning at the latest." Chen Tao nodded and left in a hurry.

"You little brat, why didn't you say so sooner if you already had these things?" Old Zheng said, somewhat annoyed.

"You didn't ask, and I've never taken out a loan before," Wang Yao said, scratching his head.

"Xiao Yao has made a name for herself at her internship company in just one year. It's true that gold shines wherever it is. I think you are the perfect candidate for this year's Outstanding Student Award," Hu Mei said with a smile.

"He's already doing an internship," Old Zheng said instinctively.

“Since he hasn’t graduated yet, he naturally meets the selection criteria. Moreover, Xiao Yao has created internship and employment opportunities for his juniors and helped the school solve its problems, so he should naturally set an example for everyone,” Hu Mei said solemnly.

"Huh? I never even received the 'Three Good Student' award when I was a kid," Wang Yao said shyly.

"Although the selection is just an honorary title, it can indeed encourage the younger generation and spur them on to strive for progress. Xiao Yao, you must continue to work hard!" Hu Mei encouraged him with a smile.

After exchanging a few perfunctory pleasantries, Old Zheng made an excuse to take him away.

"Let me ride in your BMW," Old Zheng said with a smile.

"Where is the teacher going?" Wang Yao asked, puzzled.

"Let's go to your company," Old Zheng said.

"Okay." Wang Yao didn't say anything.

Under the strange gazes of onlookers, he led Lao Zheng into the car.

Shortly afterward, new posts appeared on Renren and Xiaonei.

[Shocking! School heartthrob suspected of being kept by a rich woman, leading to dispute, returns to school for help]

[Open University's First gigolo Returns to Campus]

(End of this chapter)